Your First Visit

Before making their first clinical appointment, some prospective clients choose to drop by our office at a scheduled time to meet Dr. Verigin and staff. There is no charge for this 15 to 20 minute visit. Others simply make their first clinical appointment after discussing their dental and health situations with us over the phone.

We want you to choose the treatment path that’s most right and comfortable for you.

Since each client is an individual, each first appointment is tailored to his or her needs. The time and investment for this visit varies according to those needs, and we will discuss them with you at scheduling.

Before your first visit, we will send you some forms to fill out and return in advance. These let us get to know you and your health history and lay the ground for our understanding your current health situation.

In preparation for your visit, we also ask you to write and bring notes about your current symptoms and concerns. We want you to describe them briefly but thoroughly, estimating how long you have experienced each symptom and grading it on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = mild, 10 = severe).

If you’ve had x-rays or dental study models of your teeth within the past two years, we encourage you to send them in advance or bring them with you. If you are addressing any medical issues with another health practitioner, we appreciate your sending or bringing copies of your medical records, tests and medication history that may pertain to your dental situation.

Before your first visit, you may find it useful to spend some time writing about the events in your life as they relate to your health – or creating a timeline of your health issues and major life events. This can help you crystalize your sense of what’s going on with respect to your health, thus making things easier to recall and discuss during your visit. You might even see relationships and patterns among the events that weren’t apparent to you before. If you do this writing, please bring it with you or include it with the other material you send.

At the beginning of your first visit, Dr. Verigin will meet with you in his office and start getting to know you as an entire person – not just your current health concerns, but your needs, desires and values, as well. After this conversation, Dr. Verigin and an assistant will conduct all appropriate exams and tests to determine your current dental health status. If especially extensive clinical examination and testing are needed, this first visit may be extended over two days.

Once the exams and testing are complete, Dr. Verigin will speak with you again in his office, giving you his initial findings and preliminary recommendations. We encourage you to take notes and ask as many questions as you need in order to fully understand what you need to know. We also encourage you to ask about all available treatment options, what Dr. Verigin recommends and why. We will give you reprints of relevant scientific articles, information on web resources and other references to help you gather the knowledge you need to make the best, most informed decisions about your health care. With this information in hand, you are free – and encouraged – to choose your path to optimum health.

We will learn together. We will come to understand one another and develop a basis for the long-range plan essential to a happy, healthy future. By understanding your situation in terms of what’s important for today, tomorrow and the long-term, you enhance your ability to live by intent.